Hermione Granger - First Year: Hogwarts and New Friends
by SeekerGranger
Summary: Philosopher's Stone from Hermione's point of view. Hermione thought she was a a regular, friendless girl, but soon discovers that shes a witch. When she arrives at Hogwarts, she's expecting to be completely normal, but soon discovers that the wizarding world isn't quite as simple as it seems. ON HIATUS.
1. Magic

**_A/N: _Hi, this is my first fanfic. It's essentially Harry Potter from Hermione's point of view. My hope is to do the entire series like this.**

**Please Read and Review**

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**Chapter One: Magic**

Hermione Jean Granger was excited. She felt happy at the thought of what awaited her. It was finally the end of the day. Her _last _day, she had to keep reminding herself. After a few years at this terrible school, she was finally leaving. Leaving Bramcot Primary for St. Helens Prepatory School, her mother's Alma Mater.

It excited her to no end. She would be free. Free of the bullying and name-calling. Perhaps she'd make some new friends. She didn't know. She didn't have any friends here, did she? But even so, there were still two whole months of summer before her. She could read some books, perhaps even get some of her school books and read ahead.

When the day ended, she went home and got out her book, _Pride and Prejudice_ and read it. When her mother called her down for dinner, she went down and tuned into her parent's conversation.

'Oh, that poor boy, what was he thinking?' her mother demanded of her father.

'Said he was riding a skateboard and fell off and chipped his tooth' her father replied.

'Hmph' her mother answered.

Hermione tuned out, her parents discussed their work every night. Both Richard and Helen Granger were dentists and had their own private practice along with a third partner, Mrs. Carrs. Hermione had met her many times before and liked the woman. She was kind and good-natured, and it was no wonder her parents enjoyed having her as a colleague.

Hermione loved her parents. They had been young when they married, almost fourteen years ago, but even after this time, they still loved each other, even through their struggles.

The truth was that Mrs. Granger had had a miscarriage just two years after Hermione was born. It had been hard for the then-twenty-four-year-old woman. Hermione knew and understood these things, having had the 'talk' the previous year, and then later researching some of it, though for once, her parents had stepped in and told her to stop.

But now she was bored, with no homework to do and no one to hide from.

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The next two weeks passed by quickly and it was soon a scorching mid-July in London. Thankfully, the Granger household was kept cool with the aid of an air conditioner. The big problem, of course, was that they would soon be leaving for their usual summer trip to the coast. Though Mr. and Mrs. Granger were already planning their trip to France in two years time, they were currently going to go to the coast at the end of July for two weeks, when the dental clinic closed for its annual summer break.

It was an unusually hot morning on the Wednesday before they were meant to leave. Hermione was up by nine and was just watching television, when the doorbell rang.

'I'll get it!' she shouted down the hall. She went towards the door and opened it. She was greeted by the sight of a rather stern-looking woman, wearing deep green trousers and a sweater of the same colour. It seemed strange, given the heat, but the woman seemed to not be bothered at all by the heat.

'Can I help you?' asked Hermione.

'Yes. Are you Miss Hermione Granger?' asked the stern woman, in a voice which would have quieted an entire classroom.

'Yes' replied Hermione, now slightly confused.

'May I please come in? I need to speak of something important with you and your parents' the woman said.

'Hermione darling, who is it?' called her mother from the kitchen.

'Er-one minute, Mum!' she called down the hall 'Come in then Ms?'

'Professor Minerva McGonagall, I will explain a bit more once we go into your sitting room' she replied, stepping over the threshold and walking into the sitting room, with the air of someone who knew the house back to front.

Hermione closed the door and followed the professor into the sitting room. The professor was already sitting on the armchair, and adding sugar to a cup of tea. Hermione stared. She had never seen any of that china in her house.

Her parents came in, after hearing the noise of the door slamming. They too, stared at the professor with a look of astonishment.

'Would you like some tea?' offered the professor.

Hermione was struck dumb by the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, in her own home, been asked if she wanted a cup of tea by a complete stranger.

'Yes-er-not to be rude, but what did you want to discuss?' asked Hermione.

Professor McGonagall looked up from her tea. 'Oh, yes, of course. Perhaps we should start with your letter' she said. From her sweater she produced a letter of thick parchment. She handed it to Hermione.

Hermione took it and looked it over. On one side was what seemed to be a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a beaver, an eagle, a lion and a snake. On the other was an address.

_Miss H. Granger  
__The Second Bedroom  
__15 Lanchester Lane  
__London_

Hermione broke the wax and opened the letter. Two pieces of parchment fell out. She picked up the first and read it aloud for her parents benefit:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
__(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
__Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

Hermione looked up at the confused faces of her parents. _Hogwarts, Witchcraft, Wizardry. _But that was impossible. Magic didn't exist. It simply wasn't logical.

'Er-what does this mean?' asked her father.

'Oh, it simply means that your daughter was enrolled to attend Hogwarts ever since birth, when the Magical Quill detected enough magic in her' answered the professor.

'But magic doesn't exist!' demanded Hermione.

Suddenly the walls, couch and carpet changed to a green colour which matched the colour of the professor's clothes. The table broke apart and the fridge set aflame.

Her mother screamed. As quickly as the Grangers house had changed, it changed back. The walls, carpet and couch changed to their normal colour. The fridge stopped burning and the table picked itself up from the floor and put itself back together.

Hermione looked around at the professor. She had a long, thin stick out. _A wand_, realized Hermione.

'Do you believe me now/' asked the professor.

'Yes, but how can I be magical. I'm not a witch' said Hermione.

'Yes, you are' answered professor McGonagall. 'You are a witch. A muggle-born witch. Someone of non-magical descent' she said at Hermione's confused look. 'Hogwarts is a school of magic and is deemed, by many, to be the best in the world. The problem is that you have no idea where to go or what to do to get to Hogwarts. This is why the school sends members of the staff to muggle-borns and helps guide them in preparation for Hogwarts.'

Hermione was excited at the very prospect of this school. But her parents were wary.

'How do we know this isn't a hoax? And what are the requirements for Hogwarts?' her father asked.

'I have already proven this isn't a hoax. The requirements are simply magical ability. But I shall tell you a bit about Hogwarts now' said Professor McGonagall.

'Hogwarts is a school of magic. It was founded some thousand years ago by two witches and two wizards. Helena Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin. Hufflepuff was the hard-working and loyal one. Ravenclaw was the intelligent and smart one. Gryffindor was also loyal, but primarily brave and courageous. Slytherin was the cunning and sneaky one. The four houses of Hogwarts are based around them and their qualities. You will be sorted into a house at the start of term.'

'You will spend seven years at Hogwarts, learning various subjects. There are three sets of holidays. Christmas; from mid-December to the beginning of January. Easter; around Easter. Summer in July and August. For Christmas you may choose to stay at Hogwarts, or go home. For Easter, very few leave. For summer, you cannot stay at Hogwarts..'

'There are five core subjects, which are compulsory until sixth year. They are charms; where you learn simple charms. Transfiguration, my subject' she added. 'Transfiguration is the subject of transfiguring one object into another. Then there is Herbology, which is dealing with various magical plants. Some harmless, others are relatively dangerous. There is also Potions. Then there is Defence Against the Dark Arts. Oh and also Astronomy.'

'From third year onwards, you can take more subjects, such as Divination, Ancient Runes etcetera. In your fifth year, you take your Ordinary Wizarding Levels, or O. W. L. s for short. In seventh year you take your Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, or N. E. W. T. s for short. Then you continue on into the Wizarding world.' She finished.

Hermione sat there, stunned. 'But where can we get books and equipment for everything' she asked. 'And what does it mean, we await your owl?' she added, looking back down at the letter.

'At Diagon Alley. We can go there today, if you wish' she answered. 'You have the supplies list in your hand' she added.

Hermione looked down and saw the list; it had stuff like pewter cauldrons, robes and dragon-hide gloves.

'I'd love to go today!' said Hermione. Professor McGonagall smiled at her.

'As for the owl bit. Well, wizards use owl post, sending their letters with owls, sort of like pigeons being used in wars' she said, answering Hermione's other question.

'But what about money?' asked Mrs. Granger, reverting back to the more important topic of discussion.

'We use Galleons as our medium of exchange, along with Sickles and Knuts. Twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle and seventeen Sickles to a Galleon. It is about five pounds to a Galleon' she said. 'Let's go!'

Still slightly stunned, Mr. Granger went to the car and turned it on as everyone piled in. They drove into central London, with professor McGonagall giving directions. They parked in a parking building and walked down a street. There sat a shabby black pub.

'The Leaky Cauldron' read Hermione.

'Yes, now Mr. and Mrs. Granger, you probably cannot see the pub so grab onto me and we'll take you in' said Professor McGonagall to Hermione's parents.

Hermione's parents took hold of Professor McGonagall, who led them into the pub.

'Ah! Professor! Nice to see you again! Anything to drink?' asked the barman.

'No, thank you Tom. Hogwarts business replied Professor McGonagall, walking over to Tom.

'Ah, yes. Hagrid was in here earlier, complaining that his charge isn't getting his letters' replied Tom the barman in a whisper.

'Hmm, wouldn't surprise me. Harry Potter's muggle relatives didn't strike me as very liberal' said Professor McGonagall. 'Well, anyway, I best be going.' Professor McGonagall walked out the back door into a small courtyard. The Grangers followed behind. Hermione saw the Professor get out her wand and tap an odd pattern onto the brick wall. Suddenly, the wall began to move and collapsed apart, revealing a twisting, cobbled street.

'Welcome' said Professor McGonagall 'to Diagon Alley. The small party walked down the street.

'Professor' asked Hermione 'I'm sorry, but who's Harry Potter?'

The Professor sighed. Her face looked heavy with a mix of emotion and a long-winded-story. 'Harry Potter is, perhaps, the most famous wizard in the world' she answered.

'Why? What did he do? Who is he?' Hermione demanded.

'I'll tell you later. Right now we should get your things' answered Professor McGonagall.

They walked towards an old, white marble building at the end of the street. Stepping in, Hermione was stunned into silence by the sight of twenty or so creatures behind two long benches on either side of the marble hall.

'Goblins, they love and guard their gold jealously. But they are immensely honest when it comes to others gold. It is why we wizards have trusted them with our gold for centuries' Professor McGonagall answered the confused looks on the Granger's faces. She walked up to the far end of the hall, to a high counter.

'Hello, I'm here to help a muggle-born witch with her Hogwarts items' said Professor McGonagall to the goblin at the counter.

'Do they wish to open a new account?' asked the goblin.

Professor McGonagall looked at Mr. Granger.

'Er-yes. Yes, we would' he said.

'How many pounds do you wish to convert?' asked the goblin.

'Forty Galleons worth' answered Professor McGonagall.

After sorting out the galleons, along with a ten galleon bonus, 'Courtesy of Gringotts, ma'am' said the goblin, the Grangers walked around Diagon Alley and bought various items such as a cauldron, gloves, robes, a bunch of books, which included books that were not even on the list, such as _Hogwarts: A History_. They then bought a wand, something Hermione was exceptionally excited about. They then went to have lunch at The Leaky Cauldron.

'Now then, to get to Hogwarts, you must take the Hogwarts Express from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on September first at 11am. To get onto the platform, you must get through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. You must be absolutely sure, no doubt in your mind that you'll get through, otherwise you will crash into the barrier.'

'Professor, you said you'd tell me about Harry Potter' said Hermione.

Professor McGonagall sighed. 'Yes, I suppose I did' she said. 'But you will have to bear with me.'

'Some twenty years ago, James Potter and Lily Evans began their time at Hogwarts. At the same time a dark wizard, styling himself as Lord, well Voldermort' she whispered the name 'or You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was slowly rising to power. Today, he is considered to be the darkest wizard of all time. No, don't interrupt' she said as Hermione opened her mouth to say something. 'You-Know-Who terrorised the Wizarding world. He and his followers, known as Death Eaters believed in pureblood supremacy.'

'Meanwhile, James Potter and Lily Evans finished Hogwarts as Head Boy and Girl, got married and joined the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation founded by Dumbledore to help against the fight against You-Know-Who. The Ministry of Magic was slowly being infiltrated by Death Eaters and Dumbledore feared the worst.'

'In nineteen-eighty, James and Lily Potter had a son named Harry, Harry Potter' McGonagall sighed and took out a handkerchief. 'Sorry, it's just both James and Lily were in my house and were two of my favourite students ever. I was also in the Order of the Phoenix. But anyway, ten years ago, You-Know-Who found the Potters. He killed James and Lily and then he used the Killing Curse on Harry, but for some reason, it didn't work. Harry survived, all apart from a scar, while You-Know-Who fled, essentially broken somewhere. Some think he's dead, but I doubt that. But anyway, that's why Harry Potter is famous, he survived the Killing Curse on that Halloween night, where no one has ever survived the Curse, and as well as that, he bought about the downfall of the Dark Lord' she finished.

Hermione and her parents sat there, stunned at this revelation about the Wizarding world.

'So, he's, er, starting Hogwarts as well' asked Hermione.

'Oh, yes, he may even be in you classes' said Professor McGonagall.

* * *

When the Grangers went home that evening, Hermione went straight up to her room and begun reading the new books she had gotten. Many of them were immensely interesting and told her much more about this new world she had never known. She would often talk about it with her parents and tell them about the new world. Her parents were also interested in this new world that their daughter was suddenly a part of. They would listen with interest as Hermione told them about Dumbledore, or about some town called Hogsmeade, or the Shrieking Shack or some foreign school by the name of Durmstrang.

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**I hope that this was a good first chapter. I hope to be able to update regularly. The next chapter is already up, so that's there.**

**I would appreciate any suggestions or comments about this. Thanks.**


	2. The Scarlet Engine

**_A/N: _****Here is the second chapter of the novel. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Please R&R.**

**Please note: College is in reference to high schools, not American-after-high-school-colleges.**

**Hogwarts is the film version, as is the lake. (Goblet of Fire version)**

**Thank you.**

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**Chapter Two: The Scarlet Engine**

The rest of the summer passed by in a whir. Hermione set up a simple repetitive regime of eating, sleeping and reading her way through all her school books. She even finished the extra books she had bought and, half-way through August had been able to persuade her parents to take her on another trip to Diagonal Alley and get more books.

Soon, it was August thirty-first and Hermione was ecstatic and hyper at the very thought of going to Hogwarts. She began counting down the hours and even minutes until The Hogwarts Express would leave Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross. Her parents had never seen her like this and attempted to calm her down, but to no avail.

'I hope it's amazing and exciting' Hermione beamed at her parents. They could only smile and nod, they decided it was best to let it pass by itself. Soon, however, it was evening, and Hermione decided to go up to bed, so that she could be on the train quicker. She went to bed, but could not fall asleep. After the first hour, she decided to ignore it. After the second, she decided to get up and get a glass of water. After the third hour of not-falling-asleep, Hermione got up and decided to read until the early hours of the morning.

The morning dawned crisp and warm, as the first day of autumn arrived. Hermione was soon up, a bit tired, but otherwise excited. By nine-thirty, the Granger's were in the car, going around the morning traffic of September first, as cars honked and screeched, while children walked or were driven by their parents to school; they were excited (in the case of the younger ones) to go back and learn new things, or depressed (in the case of the older college students) as the black shadow that was school clouded over them.

Hermione was oblivious to all of this. She was in a joyful mood. Soon she would be on the train to start a brand new part of her life. A part of her life, that, two months ago, she never knew about. Mr Granger soon parked the car at King's Cross, and, after he deposited Hermione's trunk onto a trolley, the Granger's moved towards the platforms nine and ten.

Reaching the platform, Hermione looked around, she wanted to make sure that she was doing it right. She did not want to crash into the wrong barrier, by accident. After five minutes of looking around, she soon spotted a few groups of families seemingly disappear beside one of the barriers. Making her way over there, she took her parents with her, and jogging towards it, she went right through the barrier, emerging onto another platform.

_It's real, _she thought. Until this moments, a part of her, the logical part, had refused to believe in all this. Now, however, she was completely convinced. Looking around, she saw a sign:

_Platform 9 3/4 - The Hogwarts Express__  
__Regular services to Hogsmeade also available_

Beside this was a clock. It read ten thirty-five. Looking around, Hermione saw it. A beautiful scarlet steam locomotive was visible through the thick vapour. It's side read:

_The Hogwarts Express__  
__est. 1837_

Behind the locomotive were some dozen long carriages, each scarlet and each bearing the Hogwarts crest, with the lion, eagle, badger, snake and the letter 'H'. Arriving beside one of the carriages, Mr Granger heaved Hermione's trunk onto the floor of the narrow corridor and stepped down to stand beside his wife.

'Now, Draco, don't mingle with any muggle-borns, you're pure-blood, remember' said a tall blond-haired man to his son beside Hermione.

'Yes, Father' replied the boy with a drawl, like his father's.

'Okay, Seamus, enjoy your time at Hogwarts, honey' said a woman to her son.

'I will, mam' the boy replied.

'Okay honey, have a great and fun time there. Don't forget to write to us regularly, OK?' said Hermione's mother, tears in her eyes. 'Me and your father have to leave now, if we want to make it back to the clinic on time.' Mr and Mrs Granger had taken the morning off, so that they could come and see her off to Hogwarts. Their first appointment was at noon, and though they didn't know it, this arrangement was similar to what the Ministry of Magic allowed for it's employees. All employees of the Ministry were allowed the morning of September first off, so that they could see their children off.

'You have a good term, don't forget about Christmas, don't break any rules and just curse any of the boys that try to get to you' said Mr Granger, smiling down at his daughter.

'Dad, I'm not going to break any rules' said Hermione, ignoring her father's jibe.

'I know you're not' he said. 'Oh, I almost forgot! Here, something for the train, I believe that like any ordinary train, it probably has some sort of food trolley, although they probably don't accept pounds' he laughed, pulling out a small bag of coins. He handed the bag over to Hermione, who pocketed it. Mr Granger then hugged his daughter, while Mrs Granger kissed her cheek.

Climbing aboard the train, Hermione carried her luggage down to an empty compartment. She left her luggage and opened the window. She looked out, and after searching and finding her parents in the crowd, waved to them. They waved back, walking down the platform, back towards the barrier. They were soon out of sight, and Hermione, after heaving her trunk onto the luggage rack, dropped into her seat, with, as expected, a book, _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), by Miranda Gioshawk. _

After about twenty minutes, during which time, Hermione had read about the unlocking spell, _Alohomora,_ and managed to change into her school robes,the train began to move. Hermione put the book down and looked out of the window, as the train moved out of the station. Soon, London was flying past the window, and a few minutes later, a gentle knock came from the door. Hermione looked around and saw a small round-faced boy, almost certainly a first-year outside the compartment. He opened the door.

'Hullo, is anyone else going to sit there?' he asked, with a nervous voice.

'Oh, no. You can sit there if you want' replied Hermione kindly.

'Thanks' the boy said. He sat down, opposite Hermione. 'I'm Neville, Neville L-Longbottom' he said shakily.

'I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger' answered Hermione.

'Are you a muggle-born, only, my Gran knows practically every wizarding family in Britain' said Neville.

'Oh, yes. I was so happy and excited when I was told about all this' Hermione said.

'I was just really happy when I got my letter. No one thought I would get in, see?' said Neville. 'They all thought I was a squib.'

'A squib, what's a squib' asked Hermione, confused, and slightly irritated that she didn't know this seemingly crucial piece of information.

'It's a non-magic witch or wizard. Someone whose family is all magical, but they're not' answered Neville, a bit confident, now that he was able to educate someone about his world. 'They're the opposite of a muggle-born really.'

'But why does all this muggle-born and pure-blood stuff matter, and what are the different terms and meanings?' asked Hermione.

'Well, I know that muggle-borns are witches and wizards born to muggles, obviously. Pure-bloods are witches and wizards whose entire ancestry is like, entirely witches and wizards, without one muggle or muggle-born anywhere. Half-bloods, though, are the most common. Their parents are either both half-bloods or one's a pure-blood and another's a muggle-born. Occasionally, you get a half-blood whose mother is like, half-blood and whose father is just a muggle' replied Neville.

'But why do some people make a deal out of it?' Hermione questioned.

'They think that pure-bloods are better and that muggle-borns are worse off because they're not _real _witches and wizards, they haven't been raised like pure-bloods' answered Neville. 'It's just really stupid, really. It's what You-Know-Who and his-' Neville stopped and looked at Hermione. 'Do you know who You-Know-Who is?'' he asked.

'Oh, yeah, I was told about him and read a bit about him' answered Hermione.

'Yeah, well, the whole pure-blood thing was what You-Know-Who believed in entirely' said Neville.

Hermione felt a bit disheartened at this news. This was not something written somewhere in a book. This was simply perception and opinion of a variety of people.

'How many people actually think all this?' she asked.

'A few, but most wizarding folk know better. They know that there are some pretty smart muggle-born witches and wizards out there. And Gran says that there are some stupid pure-bloods out there as well. She had to visit some of them once, I think they're called Crab and Gole, something like that' he replied.

Hermione sat back, digesting this new information. She would have never have known about this prejudice. It reminded her of the KKK in America and the Civil Rights Movement over there. She wondered, for the first time, just how she would fit into Hogwarts and the wizarding world in general. Perhaps it had something to do with the houses at Hogwarts?

'Neville, do you know anything about the houses?' asked Hermione after a while.

'Oh yeah' he replied. 'I know a bit about them. I know I'll probably be in Hufflepuff, but there are four. Do you want me to tell you about them?' he asked, looking at Hermione.

Before Hermione could reply, however, the compartment door opened. A plump, short, smiling woman appeared. She was pushing an old trolley which seemed to be piled high with an assortment of various colourful boxes and packets.

'Anything off the trolley, dears?' she asked kindly.

Hermione stood up, walking towards her. She noticed that Neville had stood up as well. She briefly wondered what kind of things a wizard train would sell, but this question was soon answered when Neville asked the witch.

Could I have a few Chocolate Frogs, some Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties and two Liquorice wands' he told the witch, handing over a few gold coins. The witch took the gold and handed over the requested candies. The witch looked up at Hermione.

'Er, could I please have some of what Neville's having and a box of those jelly beans' said Hermione, pointing at a purple box of jelly beans, some of colours Hermione had never seen before. The witch handed the items over, taking Hermione's gold off her.

Hermione sat back with the items and tucked in, tasting the various wizarding candies provided. She was slightly surprised when she discovered that the chocolate frogs could actually bounce, but more interested in the cards that came with every frog. By the time she had gone through the box of chocolate frogs, Hermione's famous wizard collection included Dumbledore, Merlin, Morgana, Paracelsus and others.

When she got to the jelly beans, Neville stopped her.

'Oh, Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans! Be careful, they really mean it when they say _every-flavour_' he said. 'You can get really weird ones, like vomit and plastic.' Hermione was suddenly a bit apprehensive about the beans, but she fished out a small white one. She looked at it for a bit, studying it, but decided to be brave and chewed the tip. _Coconut_, she thought and ate the rest of the bean. 'As I was saying earlier' continued Neville 'did you want to hear about the houses?'

'Yeah, sure' replied Hermione, with fake enthusiasm, and so Neville launched into a lecture about the four different houses, what their qualities were. How Slytherin had never had a muggle-born and how every single dark witch or wizard had only been in Slytherin. How Ravenclaw were really smart, and how Hufflepuff were considered to be a bit stupid, while Gryffindor sounded like the jocks of the school from some American high school film.

All the while, Hermione sat there, going her way through beans. She got mostly nice ones, some were plain, while a small group was simply disgusting. But Hermione could see the appeal of these beans. It would probably be fun to sit and try to eat these beans with friends. Unsure whether or not the green one is mint or tree leaves.

'-and Gran says that I might be put in Gryffindor, cos that's where everyone in our family has been put in for a few generations, but she says Hufflepuff isn't a bad place either. I'm just scared that I won't be sorted at all. Maybe they'll decide I'm too squib and send me back home' he finished fearfully.

He looked at Hermione expectantly.

'What? Oh, yes, I'm pretty sure you'll be sorted Neville' she said, dropping the bean she had been inspecting; a rather suspicious looking red one. Neville looked pacified at this assurance. Another few minutes passed, when suddenly:

'Trevor, where are you?' asked Neville to no one in particular. Hermione looked around at Neville. She had been gazing at the countryside whizzing by.

'Who's Trevor?' she asked.

'My toad. He's already disappeared a few times' replied Neville. He was looking under the seat, his large bottom visible under it.

'Here, I'll help you look for it. Why don't you go look in the corridor, and I'll look around the compartment' suggested Hermione. Neville looked around at her, fearfully. He then went out of the compartment.

Hermione stood up and paced the compartment. Where should she look? She knew that student's could bring an owl, cat or toad. She'd heard that owls were by far the most popular as they were the most useful, whilst toads were completely unfashionable. But she felt a stab of sympathy and pity for the poor boy, Neville. He didn't seem particularly bright.

She got down on her knees and looked under the seats. She knew what a toad looked like, and really, how many could there be on the train? She continued her search of the compartment. In the end, she had to admit defeat. Neville came in a few moments later, crestfallen.

'I couldn't find him. I asked around the carriage, but no one's seen him' he said.

'Come on, I'll go ask the neighbors' said Hermione.

'I've already asked, they said they hadn't seen him' replied Neville, looking up at Hermione resentfully.

'Perhaps you didn't ask hard enough' suggested Hermione.

Neville silently agreed and they stood up and walked out the compartment, going through the carriage and asking about. They met a few fellow first-years on the way. Hermione extended the necessary searching time, by talking with a few of them. She enjoyed talking with an Ernie Macmillan, who seemed very smart. She liked Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott well enough. Lavender Brown and Parvati and Padma Patil were also interesting.

She reached the last compartment. In it were two boys. One was tall, ginger and freckly. The other was rather short, skinny with messy jet black hair and round spectacles covered his emerald green eyes. They were surrounded by wrappers and the discards of food. Hermione opened the door and walked in, Neville trailing behind her.

'Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one' said Hermione.

'We've already told him we haven't seen it' said the ginger-haired boy. But Hermione wasn't listening, she had just noticed the tattered old one in the ginger boy's hand.

'Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then' she said to the boy. She sat down beside the black-haired boy. The ginger boy seemed a bit taken aback at Hermione's reaction.

'Er – all right' was all he said. He cleared his throat, raised his wand at the rat that was in his lap. 'Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow.' He waved his wand but nothing happened.

'Are you sure that's a real spell?' asked Hermione. 'Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells, just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family is magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough' rambled Hermione. She suddenly looked up 'I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?'

'I'm Ron Weasley' said the ginger boy.

'Harry Potter' said the other boy. Hermione was stunned, but quickly got over it. She did, however question him, or interrogate, based on one's perception of the event.

'Are you really?' said Hermione. 'I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History _and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century._'

'Am I?' asked the black-haired boy, Harry. He looked slightly sheepish at this news.

'Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it were me' said Hermione, slightly amazed that this boy didn't know he was in books. 'Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best. I hear Dumbledore himself was one, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad…' Hermione trailed off, thinking about that possibility.

She then remembered why she was in this compartment in the first place. 'Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon.' She finished. She stood up and left the compartment.

She and Neville looked around some more; finally finding Trevor beside the door leading to the neighboring carriage. Hermione decided to go up the train and see the driver, if there was one. She had an odd suspicion that the train might be magical, and might even run on its own.

She needn't have worried; there was a wizard in the drivers' compartment. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, with thinning grey hair. He was wearing dark pants with a grey shirt, and had numerous burns across his arms, while his face and hands were covered in coal. He was sweating profusely, though that would be because of the heat in the compartment. There was a raging fire in here, making the entire compartment seem like an oven. The driver introduced himself as Barry.

'When will we be there?' asked Hermione, after exchanging pleasantries.

'In about an hour, miss' Barry replied, shoveling coal into the fire.

'Thank you' said Hermione.

She went back towards her compartment. She found Neville there, looking slightly pale and worn out. Hermione asked him what was wrong.

'Draco M-Malfoy was in here a few minutes ago' he said.

Hermione looked at him sympathetically. Neville had mentioned the name Malfoy in his lecture about purebloods and had said that Malfoy was one of the worst. She hoped she wouldn't come across him too soon. She couldn't have been more mistaken.

Barely a minute later, she heard a commotion. She looked out of the compartment. People were running about the corridors, laughing and behaving immaturely. She saw a commotion in one of the compartments and went to investigate. When she looked into the compartment, she was surprised to find that she _wasn't _surprised that it was none other than Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

'What _has _been going on?' she demanded of the boys, looking at the sweet wrappers and the rat, both of which were on the floor.

They ignored her. 'I think he's been knocked out' said Ron. 'No – I don't believe it – he's gone back to sleep.'

'You've met Malfoy before?' asked Harry. Hermione's ears pricked up, and she listened at what Ron said about the Malfoys and their ties to You-Know-Who. When he finished, Hermione told them:

'You better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up the front to ask the driver and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting. Have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!' she exclaimed, exasperated.

'Scabbers had been fighting, not us' said Ron, scowling at Hermione, though she didn't notice. 'Would you mind leaving while we change?'

'All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors' said Hermione. 'And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?'

Hermione left them. She made her way down the corridor, just as a voice echoed throughout the train: 'We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.'

Hermione decided that there was no point pushing through the crowds to get back to her compartment. She went towards the exit, as the train began slowing and then, finally, stopped. She was pushing along with the tide of the students rushing out of the door. She heard a loud voice call over everyone's heads: 'Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!'

Hermione made her way towards the voice and looked up into the shaggy face of the tallest man she had ever seen. It looked like he had been enlarged massively. He was taller than any other wizard she had seen.

'C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!'

Hermione followed the man towards a path, which seemed to lead towards a lake. Hermione tried to see between the trees, to catch a glimpse of the school, but couldn't.

As if he had read her mind, the man said 'Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec' Hagrid called over the crowd, 'jus' round this bend here.'

The path had opened to reveal a magnificent castle on the other side of the lake, though still on this end. The castle had numerous towers, but the most prominent was a very large thick one. Hermione knew, from _Hogwarts: A History _that this tower housed the Grand Staircase of Hogwarts, as well as hundreds of portraits and at the very top, Gryffindor tower. As for the lake, it stretched out for miles and miles, towards some distant hills.

'No mor'n four to a boat' called the man, pointing to the boats that were tied to the dock. Hermione was followed by Neville, as she climbed into a boat, behind Harry and Ron.

'Everyone in?' shouted the man, who was, himself, sitting in a boat by himself, as he occupied the entire boat. Hermione had a fleeting suspicion that this boat was even larger than the rest. 'Right then – FORWARD!'

The boats moved and rode the waves gracefully. The student's sailed towards the hundreds' of lights that made the castle visible. Hermione learned from Harry that the large man's name was Hagrid.

They arrived at the dock below the castle. The student's filed out of the boats, and Hagrid checked them.

'Oy, you there! Is this your toad?' said Hagrid, calling out to Neville, who had apparently escaped captivity again.

'Trevor!' cried Neville, running towards Hagrid and taking Trevor off of Hagrid's hands. Hagrid then lead them up a few flights of staircases, before arriving at and oak door, some thirty or forty feet high. Hagrid knocked. The doors open and there stood the woman who had told Hermione about the wizarding world: Professor McGonagall. She surveyed the mass of students in front of her.

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**There we go, another chapter done, next is The Sorting, which will be, hopefully, as long as this chapter, if I can make a large conversation out of what the hat and Hermione would be discussing.**

**Please note that I will use a lot of dialogue that is directly taken from the original books. I wish to remain faithful to the original series. I do not mean any copyright infringement, as everything in the Potterverse is Jo's creation (except for a few select things, Richard and Helen Granger, anyone?).**

**Please Review, suggestions are welcome. Third chapter up soon.**


	3. Hogwarts

**_A/N: _****Well, here is the third chapter: the Sorting, and yes Hufflepuff is in the mix, because let's face it, Hermione is a pretty hard worker and extremely loyal. The hat would at least consider it, though would quickly discard it with her brains and bravery.**

**I have added a bit more at the end, mainly Hermione meeting her new dorm mates; Lavender and Parvati. I've also added a conversation about classes with Percy.**

**No copyright infringement intended. Everything is Jo Rowling's amazing creation, other than what is not.**

**Please R&R. Thank you!**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Hogwarts**

'The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall' said Hagrid.

'Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here' said Professor McGonagall.

She pulled open the door, and led the first years into a large entrance hall. Hermione saw another large door, light spilled from the room behind it, and hundreds of voices were heard. Professor McGonagall closed the two sets of doors, and turned to face the students.

'Welcome to Hogwarts' she began. 'The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will be have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.'

'The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are here at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.'

'The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.'

'I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.' Professor McGonagall surveyed the crowd before turning around and walking into the hall.

Hermione started panicking slightly. How would they sort them. She started whispering all of the spells she had learnt over the summer, wondering which ones she would need. It was annoying, not knowing just how they would be tested. She heard a few of her fellow first-years muttering nervously about what they would be required to do.

Suddenly, she heard a few gasps. She looked up and saw the objects which had caused this reaction. About twenty ghosts had floated through the walls adjacent to the grand staircase. Hermione had, of course read about the ghosts in _Hogwarts: A History_, but even so, she was still amazed to see them in real life. There was Sir Nicholas, who had wanted to join the Headless Hunt, but was not properly beheaded, then the Fat Friar. But the two mysteries were The Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron.

The ghosts at first didn't notice the first years, they were arguing whether or not to let in someone by the name of 'Peeves'. Sir Nicholas seemed to be winning. The Fat Friar, however had noticed the first years.

'New students!' she said, smiling around. 'About to be sorted, I suppose?' A few people nodded at her. 'Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know.'

'Move along now' said a sharp voice. Hermione looked around to see Professor McGonagall herding some first years into the open doors of the Great Hall. 'The Sorting Ceremony's about to start.' The ghosts went through the walls, into the Great Hall. 'Now, form a line, and follow me.'

The first years followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall. They passed the four long tables. Hermione attempted to ignore the curious glances of all the other students who were sitting there, scrutinizing the new batch of first years. Hermione looked up and saw the enchanted ceiling: 'It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in _Hogwarts: A History_' she said, to no one in particular. The first years were led to the raised platform, where they stood, waiting to for instructions.

Hermione looked up at the platform. She saw the staff table with Dumbledore in the middle, in a golden chair. Beside him was an empty chair, which was probably Professor McGonagall's. She scanned the rest of the table, and only recognised Hagrid, who was sitting in a special, large chair. In front of the table was a golden lectern, with a golden owl on it, and a few candles. Beside this was a three-legged stool, on which rested an old wizard's hat and a scroll of parchment.

A rip near the brim appeared and opened, and the hat sang:

_'Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't always judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can tap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on!  
Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!'_

The Hall burst into applause. Professor McGonagall took the scroll of parchment and unrolled it. She called out: 'When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbott, Hannah!'

The girl in question hurried up to take a seat. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. A moment's pause, then: 'HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the hat.

Hannah Abbott went to join the table on the right. Susan Bones was also sorted into Hufflepuff. Terry Boot became the first Ravenclaw and the table second from the left clapped the loudest this time. Lavender Brown became the first Gryffindor; the table on the far left exploded with applause and cheers. The first Slytherin was Millicent Bulstrode. The table on the far right cheered this time. It was obvious, Hermione thought to herself, why Gryffindor and Slytherin were so far apart. They were obviously rivals and there was probably some form of childish behavior thrown in the mix.

Hermione was snapped out of her reverie when Professor McGonagall called: 'Granger, Hermione!'

Hermione practically ran to the stool and jammed the hat on.

'Hmm. What do we have here?' said a voice in her ear. 'Well, a muggle-born, very intelligent, but certainly not Slytherin. Perhaps Hufflepuff? No. You may work hard, but that is not your strongest characteristic. You're very bright, but also very brave. Where to put you?' asked the hat.

'I don't know, Ravenclaw would be great, but Gryffindor sounds amazing as well' thought Hermione to herself, not knowing that the hat could hear her thoughts.

'Oh, you can't decide either. Hmm, perhaps I should dig a little deeper. Ah, yes, I see now, it is perfectly clear where you belong' said the Hat. 'Of course it suits you rather well, now that I think that you belong in GRYFFINDOR!' the hat shouted the last word for the whole Hall to hear. Hermione realised that though it had seemed like ten minutes, she had barely even had the hat on.

Hermione stood up and went off towards the Gryffindor table. She was met by a great deal of hands being shaken and a red-headed fifth year saying: 'Congratulations, welcome to Gryffindor, I'm Percy Weasley, one of the prefects.'

'And a prat' said another red-head to his twin brother. 'Eh, George?'

'Yeah, Fred' replied the twin. Percy blushed.

Hermione looked back up at the sorting. Sally-Anne Perks had just been sorted. Professor McGonagall called out: 'Potter, Harry!' The hall erupted into whispers. Hermione suspected why. Fred and George, beside her, began discussing which house the famous wizards would be sorted into.

Harry himself went up and sat on the stool, putting the hat on. He sat there. To Hermione, he seemed to take a while; a few minutes. Then finally, the hat shouted: 'GRYFFINDOR!' Harry stood up and walked off the podium, towards the Gryffindor table. Hermione clapped, while the entire table stood up and cheered, while the Weasley twins shouted: 'We got Potter! We got Potter!'

When the sorting was finished with a few more additions to Gryffindor, including Ron, the Headmaster; Albus Dumbledore himself, stood up: 'Welcome!' he said. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!' He sat down. Everybody clapped and cheered.

A moment later, food magically appeared on the table. Hermione looked around, amazed at the variety and amount. There was everything; from potatoes and chicken to pies and chips. It seemed there was something for everyone. The amount of it seemed to be because of people like Ron, who Hermione saw load his plate with practically everything.

She herself got some food as well, wondering slightly where it all came from. She began eating, more politely than Ron, who had some potato on the side of his mouth. The food was enjoyable, and she eavesdropped on the boys' conversation. They were talking to Sir Nicholas, who was apparently nicknamed 'Nearly Headless Nick'. Hermione almost threw up when she saw him take his head partially off.

'So Percy, what are classes like, and when do they begin? I _do _hope they start straight away, there's so much to learn' she began, trying to forget about Nearly Headless Nick's head. 'I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult, I mean, imagine starting by trying to turn a cupboard into a horse.'

'You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing. You only get to large objects in sixth and seventh year. Though Transfiguration is more about the principals involved than the actual size. You may be able to transfigure large objects into something else, if the principals are the same as a match into needle' Percy said to her, looking up from his book, _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 5)_.

Hermione was interested. She asked: 'What about charms? It's supposedly rather easy!'

Percy frowned at this. 'Charms is one of the more difficult branches of magic, overall, mainly because it's so large a topic. There are very few charms which are similar. Where in Transfiguration you may apply the same principals and knowledge to a variety of objects, in Charms you don't have that liberty.'

'What about Herbology?'

'Herbology is easier. It's learning about different magical plants, and how to care for them. It is more dangerous, though. That's primarily because the environment isn't as controlled as a classroom. More bad things could happen.'

Hermione frowned this time. She knew that she would have to deal with magical plants, but it didn't sound particularly fun. 'How dangerous, exactly?' she asked slowly.

'Not too dangerous, the first few years you don't get hurt much at all. From fourth year, onwards is where it really starts: boils, scratches, cuts, maybe even bruises. That sort of thing' Percy answered, smiling reassuringly at Hermione.

'What about Potions?' she asked.

'Well' began Percy, slowly. 'Potions is another matter. There's no wand work, except for lighting a fire, perhaps. Other than that, it's really just about understanding principals and remembering what different ingredients do. The worst that's ever happened in my time at Hogwarts was that one girl put in the wrong ingredient, resulting in her getting some nasty acne from the smoke. The worst in the history of Hogwarts was-'

'-the explosion in sixteen-forty-nine that killed twenty-three students and two teachers, injured fifty-four more students and destroyed the entire lab and a few neighboring classrooms' finished Hermione, remembering reading about the worst events in _Hogwarts: A History_. 'What about Defence?'

Percy took his time answering: 'Well, Defence is interesting' he said, dropping his knife and fork onto his empty plate. 'You see, Hogwarts hasn't been able to keep a single teacher of the position for any more than a year for the past forty years. Professor Quirell, the one in the turban over there-' he said, indicating the staff table. Hermione looked around and saw the professor. He was wearing an odd turban of sorts, '-he's new, and I'm not really sure, but he doesn't look to be up to the task' finished Percy, thoughtfully.

'No more than a year? How has Dumbledore been able to fill the position. And why has no one lasted longer than a year?' asked Hermione.

Percy looked at her, and then answered: 'Rumour is that it's getting harder for Dumbledore to find someone. Any year now, he might fail, in which case he'd turn to the Board of Governors or the Ministry. As for your second question, well, apparently the position's cursed by You-Know-Who himself, who apparently came to Hogwarts some forty years ago and asked to become a teacher of that very position, but Dumbledore declined. But that too, is just a rumour.'

Suddenly, the plates were cleaned and all the food disappeared, to be replaced a moment later by dessert. There was all sorts, candies, puddings, treacle tart. Hermione picked a few things and ate carefully. Her parents had always taught her to be careful of what she ate, so as not to ruin her teeth, and, even though they weren't here, she was still going to abide by that.

Hermione was eating some treacle tart, when a question popped into her head: 'Percy, what about other subjects, like Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmacy?'

'Well, they're all subjects that you can only take from third year onwards. You're also allowed into Hogsmeade from third year onwards' he said. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by one of his brothers.

'That you are, Percy, and this year. Me and George are going to take Hogsmeade by storm' said Fred loudly, smiling at his older brother. Hermione looked at Percy, who seemed both angry and nervous.

'You know what mother said about you two going to Hogsmeade' he told the twins. 'You have to _behave._ Behave. Otherwise, she'll send you both a Howler and write to Professor McGonagall, telling her that you two can't go. Don't forget that I'm a prefect as well! And if you step out of line in Hogsmeade, and embarrass the school and Gryffindor, then I'll take a lot of points and write to mother and let Professor McGonagall punish you accordingly. Mother would not be pleased!' Percy seemed to inflate, red in the face. The twins turned back to their food, and smiled at each other.

At that moment, the puddings disappeared and Professor Dumbledore stood up, and ascended his lectern. He peered around at the students, smiling warmly at everyone. The Hall fell silent. He cleared his throat and spoke: 'Ahem – just a few more words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember as well.' Dumbledore's eyes flicked towards the Weasley twins, and Hermione briefly wondered what they had done in that forest.

'I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.'

Hermione wondered what this 'Quidditch' was. It seemed to be a sport, as a lot of the older boys started smiling at this news. Hermione made a mental note to ask Percy about it later. She looked over at him. He seemed to frown in disapproval at the Headmaster's words. _Perhaps not then, _thought Hermione. Someone else would do.

'And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death' finished Professor Dumbledore. Hermione frowned at this. She heard Harry laugh, but he was one of few. The rest of the hall seemed just as perplexed as Hermione was.

'And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!' cried Dumbledore. Hermione saw that some of the teacher's seemed to wear smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes anymore. Dumbledore flicked his wand, and a golden ribbon appeared floating a few feet in front and above Dumbledore: 'Everyone pick their favourite tune and off we go!' He began to conduct, while the words formed themselves.

Hermione quickly picked a random tune, 'Rule Britannia', and started singing, though it was hard, with so many different tunes surrounding her:

_'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot.'_

Hermione finished the song. She found that she actually liked it. She heard Percy grumble as he finished. He seemed not to like it. Hermione looked around; most students were smiling, seeming to enjoy the song. The Weasley twins were the only ones left singing, to the tune of an old funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines and said: 'Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!'

As a thousand students stood up; scraping the benches against the floor, Percy called out over the dim: 'First years, follow me, please! Keep with me! Stay in line!' He led them all out of the hall, and up the grand staircase. They climbed a number of staircases, and came to a stop when they came across a number of walking canes hanging in mid-air. Percy took a step towards them, and they started throwing themselves at him.

'Peeves, a poltergeist' he whispered to the first years. He raised his voice, 'Peeves – show yourself!'

There was no answer. 'Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?' said Percy.

There was a _pop _and a little man with wicked dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating in mid-air.

'Oooooooh!' he said. 'Ickle firsties! What fun!'

'Go away Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!' said Percy, turning red. Peeves floated away, cackling madly. 'You want to watch out for Peeves' said Percy, as they all resumed walking. 'The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us Prefects.'

They finally reached a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink dress, who seemed to be in her thirties. She was singing, or at least, attempting to sing opera. She was holding a large wine glass. She stopped when she saw Percy.

'So, you're the new prefect? Doesn't surprise me one bit!' she said to Percy in a rather high, pompous voice. 'Password?' she asked, gruffly.

'_Caput Draconis_' said Percy. The portrait swung forward to reveal a small doorway. Percy led them through into the Gryffindor common room; a cosy round room which was full of squashy couches and chairs, and had a roaring fire.

Percy directed the girls through one doorway. Hermione and her two companions; Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, one of the twins, climbed a spiral staircase until they reached a door with a plaque on it:

_First Years_

Hermione pushed the door open, and led the way in. The room was relatively small and cosy. It had three four-poster beds, with deep-red velvet curtains. In front of each bed was a large chest, beside which stood their luggage. To the left of each bed there was a mahogany desk with a mahogany chair. A small, red armchair stood beside each desk.

There were four windows, one behind each desk, while the fourth was between two of the beds. Two of the windows opened up towards the lake, while the other two, towards the mountains. To the right of each bed was a large, oak wardrobe, with a door from the floor to the top of the wardrobe. Hermione was left with one of the side-by-side beds, after Lavender seemed to have demanded the more isolated bed for her rather large volume of stuff. Hermione ignored this and opened her wardrobe and saw that the wardrobe was actually, magically, a walk-in wardrobe. It looked like it was bigger inside then it was out. On the far wall was a small makeup table with three mirrors. There was even a vanity mirror.

Hermione, however, thought the wardrobe was a bit too big, and suddenly it shrunk to the appropriate size. Hermione looked around. Parvati has also seemingly shrunk hers, while Lavender had seemed to have disappeared into her wardrobe.

In the middle of the room stood a large boiler. On it were a jug of water and some cups. A door to the side of Lavender's bed led to the bathroom.

Hermione sat on her bed. Parvati did likewise.

'So, you're Hermione Granger?' asked Parvati, a bit nervously.

'Yeah, and you're Parvati Patil, right?' asked Hermione. Parvati nodded.

'Looks like we're roommates for the next seven years' said Parvati. Lavender suddenly joined them, having emerged from her wardrobe.

'So I'm half-blood! What about you?' she demanded of Parvati and Hermione.

'Er, I'm half-blood as well' said Parvati.

'I'm muggle-born' said Hermione, nervously. 'But I thought that didn't really matter?'

'Oh! Of course it doesn't, at least not here in Gryffindor, but in Slytherin it does, which is just really pathetic. I mean muggles have learnt to adapt to so much without wands. I mean, did you know that they can _fly. _Yeah, fly! Well, in really big things called planes. Then there's the trains, and cars and those tele-fission, or something' said Lavender. She looked at Hermione, smiling.

'Oh, er, yeah, there is all that' said Hermione, slightly stunned.

Lavender rambled on: 'Then there's of course the fact that most of the wizarding world is made up of half-bloods. Mum said that had pure wizards always interbred, they would have died out from a mixture of sickness and not enough population, leaving muggle-borns to take over, the last thing that, ironically, the pure-bloods want!' Lavender continued rambling on about this. Parvati looked pleadingly at Hermione, but Hermione just shook her head at Parvati and shrugged her shoulders. _Let it pass_, she mouthed to Parvati.

When Lavender finally did finish, Hermione took the plunge and asked a question:

'So, what's Quidditch' she asked, addressing Parvati, more than Lavender.

Thankfully, Parvati replied before Lavender opened her mouth: 'Quidditch is basically the single biggest sport in the wizarding world. Sort of like muggles have football' she began. 'It's played on broomsticks. There are fourteen players; two teams, seven players each. There are four balls-'

'_Four balls_' exclaimed Hermione.

'-yes, four balls. Anyway, one ball is the Quaffle. The Quaffle is used by three of the players; the Chasers. The Chasers pass to each other, trying to score a goal into one of the three hoops of the opposing side. A score into a hoop is ten points. The defender of the hoops is the fourth player; the Keeper. Then there are two balls called Bludgers. They are essentially there for hitting players. They zoom around the pitch, trying to hit the players. There general direction is controlled by the Beaters. There are two Beaters per team. They use bats to hit the Bludgers' she paused, taking a breath.

'Gryffindors Beaters are the two Weasley twins' she said. 'The fourth and final ball, as well as the seventh and final player is the most interesting. The ball is called the Snitch and the layer is called the Seeker. The Snitch is generally a small golden ball which flies really fast around the pitch. The Seekers job is to catch it. First they have to see it and then catch it. The Seeker that catches the Snitch earns one-hundred and fifty points for their team, meaning they usually win. The game _only_ ends when the Snitch is caught.'

'Only? What if the game goes for like a few hours?' asked Hermione.

'Standard games last anywhere between two and six hours' said Parvati. 'But there are games which have lasted mere minutes or whole weeks. I think the record is like, three months.'

'_Three months!_' exclaimed Hermione. 'But how do they sleep, and eat?'

'There are reserves generally, and that isn't a Hogwarts game, either' said Parvati.

'I remember daddy taking us to see the Holyhead Harpies verse the Chudley Cannons' said Lavender. 'The game went on for nine days! The Cannons are my team' she said, at Hermione's look of confusion.

'The Harpies are mine' said Parvati. They ended their conversation and went back to their luggage.

Hermione decided that she would unpack some of her stuff right now, and the rest tomorrow. She looked around until she found her trunk. She took out her pyjamas and dressed in them as well as putting a few of her possessions on the shelf overhead of the bed, before climbing in between her covers. She fell asleep quickly, thinking about what the following day would bring.

* * *

**So, some of the stuff is more movie related (like the grand staircase0, well other stuff is more book related.**

**It was fun to create the conversation between Percy and Hermione, and having the Weasley twins interrupt was great as well.**

**I do wonder, however, how Hermione lived the remainder of her sixth year with Lavender, after getting together with Ron. A lot of shield charms, probably.**

**The next chapter will be about Hermione's first week or so at Hogwarts. Her classes, trying to make new friends. Did you like Lavender practically hogging an entire side of the dorm? It would probably be what she would do, even at eleven years old.**

**Yes, I do consider Parvati to be Hermione's friend. I think that they would get along rather well. Of course, later on Hermione goes with Harry, Ron and Ginny, but for now Parvati is friendly enough.**


	4. Lessons - Part 1

**_A/N: _****Here's Chapter Four. Sorry for it being so late, I had a significant problem with my internet.**

**This one should be fun; time to create lessons and make stuff up, as well as make Hermione very smart.**

**Everything is Jo Rowling's creation, other than what is not.**

**Please R&R (Read and Review). Thank you!**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Lessons – Part 1**

The next day, Hermione woke up to sunlight streaming through the window. Getting out of bed, she got her towel and clothes for the day and went into the shower. She looked around at the dorm. She had just noticed the deep-red carpet that covered the floor. She looked at her two dormmates. They were both asleep.

Walking into the bathroom, she noticed that it too was decorated in a Gryffindor theme. Some of the tiles were a deep red that matched the curtains, hangings and carpet in the dorm. Even the tap and shower nozzle was a golden colour.

When she was under the shower stream, Hermione realised that she was actually very happy and proud to be a Gryffindor. She made a note of sending her parents a letter later today and later on in the week. She would perhaps ask for some more money and attempt to see if Hogwarts had any sort of shop where you could buy stuff such as blankets to show off your house colours. It would be quite nice.

Stepping out of the bathroom in her robes, she saw Parvati was up and moving her stuff.

'Morning,' she said chirpily to Hermione. Apparently Parvati, like Hermione, was a morning person.

'Morning,' replied Hermione. She looked over at Lavender, intending to wake her.

'Don't bother, I've tried three times. Twice she tried to tell me to "snooze",' snorted Parvati, looking over at Lavender. 'I don't really think she's a morning person.'

'No, apparently not,' said Hermione. She grabbed her wand, and used a simple spell she had seen in a book during the summer, and magically, dried her hair.

'Well, I'll see you down at breakfast,' she said to Parvati.

'Yeah, see ya,' replied Parvati, walking towards the bathroom, with a towel in her hands. Hermione walked down the spiral staircase, and through the portrait hole. Walking down the staircases and corridors, she looked around at the hundreds of portraits lining the walls. There were so many different ones.

When she reached the Great Hall, she saw that she was relatively early, as most of the school, and even teachers seemed to be missing. She went and sat down near the Weasley twins, who, she was surprised to see, were rather cheerful.

'Hello,' said Hermione.

'Oh, hello Hermione,' said one of them.

'How are you this morning?' asked the other.

'Good, but I have to admit, I am surprised to see you two up this early. I thought you would be those types of people who hated mornings,' she said.

They laughed, 'Well, not really. See, we love to prank people, and the best time to do that is the morning, when most people are still sleeping' said one. 'Eh, George?'

'Exactly. See, the morning gives you time to prepare a prank, without any disturbance. Meaning that you can actually, successfully prank someone,' said George.

'The recipient is also very irritated, being woken up by your prank,' said Fred.

Hermione was impressed. The impression the twins had left on Hermione yesterday was that they were the schools juvenile pranksters; stupid, pathetic, but still funny. But it seemed that while they ere pranksters, they were smart about it. Hermione did sense that they had some interesting secrets, and probably knew quite a bit about Hogwarts.

Hermione filled her plate with toast, eggs and bacon. She filled her cup with some milk and ate. The Weasley twins looked at her and said: 'Listen, Hermione. You're a first year, so you probably need some help. Here's a few tips' said George, seriously.

'Stay away from Filch, the caretaker. He's pretty much a sadistic old bastard,' said Fred. 'He's been here forever and knows almost every single secret passage. That means he can show up out of nowhere. He can punish you pretty harshly. Mainly it's detention, where you have to clean something without magic. But he always goes on about how he wishes he had chains and whips. Apparently Dumbledore's predecessor, Armando Dippet, banned that with full support of the Board of Governors and the Ministry.'

'Avoid Mrs Norris. She's the red-eyed cat of the bastard. She is generally Filch's lookout. She's the only thing Filch loves in this world. That's, mainly because she looks like the devil's cat. But we're pretty sure they have a telepathic link. Cos if she sees trouble, Filch is there in a matter of seconds,' said George.

'Also avoid Peeves,' started Fred.

'Your brother told us to avoid him, yesterday,' said Hermione.

'Yes, well, Percy is bound to give good advice, sometimes,' said Fred.

'Occasionally,' said George.

'Rarely,'

'Once a month,'

'Once a season,'

'Once a-,'

'I get it!' said Hermione. George looked at her.

'Yes, well, anyway, Peeves is terrible. Where me and George might simply pull a trick that is funny, it doesn't usually hurt anyone,' continued Fred.

'By anyone, he means Ravenclaws, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Slytherins aren't human,' added George.

'Yes, anyway, Peeves creates mayhem. He could hurt you, pull your nose, try drop stuff on you, etcetera, etcetera,' said Fred. 'The point is; avoid him.'

'Thank you, any other advice?' asked Hermione, finishing her breakfast.

'Yes, don't interact with Slytherins, they will scar you,' said George.

'Don't get in trouble with the teachers, they will put you in detention,' continued Fred.

'Don't play with any cats, you don't know. It could be Mrs Norris-,'

'-or Professor McGonagall,' Fred interrupted.

'Professor McGonagall!? Why would Professor McGonagall be a cat?' asked Hermione, surprised.

'She's an animagus. Someone who can turn into an animal at will,' added Fred, at Hermione's confused look.

'Continuing on, don't piss off Snape. He will be harsh and unfair, but that's because he's a git,' said George.

'He will take any opportunity to dock points off any other house other than Slytherin,' said Fred.

'He favours them?' asked Hermione, shocked that a teacher would do such a thing.

'Yeah, unfortunately McGonagall doesn't favour us. She's our Head of House,' added Fred, at Hermione's confusion.

'Anyway, Hermione, be good, overall. Okay? Okay,' finished George.

'How did you find out about McGonagall?' asked Hermione.

'Yeah, that was really unfortunate for us, remember Fred?' asked George of his twin.

'Oh yeah, unpleasant, that was,' replied Fred, with a nervous laugh.

'How so?' asked Hermione, curious to know what had happened.

'It was our first year. We'd been here for just a few months; it was just before Christmas,' began George.

'We were walking to dinner, when we saw a cat in the Transfiguration corridor. We wondered whose cat it was. We thought it might be a Slytherins. So we practically attacked it, surprising the poor cat,' continued Fred.

'I was holding it tightly. We decided to go back to Gryffindor tower, where we continued holding the cat. It was squirming and all. Me and Fred started discussing what we should do with the cat. That's when the cat started actually scratching and trying to bite me' said George, with a distant look on his face.

'We'd said some pretty nasty things, and then the cat managed to bite George, who let it go in pain,' said Fred, looking at Hermione with a grin. 'We were then horrified, as the cat proceeded to transform into Professor McGonagall. She looked immensely flustered and disheveled. She screamed at us. I don't think she's ever been so mad. Some of the other students in the common room watched us in a mix of fear and amusement.'

'We ended up getting Howlers the next day from Mum,' said George. 'We got five detentions, separate from each other. Mum promised to ground us when we got back home for Christmas.'

'So we decided to stay here at Hogwarts that Christmas,' continued Fred with a grin. 'We were meant to go home, but we approached Flitwick and asked if we could stay. He said we needed to talk to our Head of House, but when we said that that was probably a bad idea, he organized it. It would have been much worse if we actually _had _done something to her' added Fred.

'Thankfully, we didn't. Though we got another Howler, each on the day after the start of the holidays. Mum was furious we hadn't gone home. Called us cowardly,' said George.

'Dad even added in that we weren't worthy of being Gryffindors,' said Fred. 'We didn't get any Christmas presents from anyone in the family, even, except Ginny, Bill and Charlie. Our younger sister and older brothers' he added. 'They thought it was hilarious.'

'Yet I seem to remember the two of you couldn't look at me for the rest of the year. In fact, the first time you looked me in the face after that incident was when you were selected as Beaters last year,' said a voice behind them. The Weasley twins and Hermione jumped. They looked around to see Professor McGonagall there, her lips pressed into a thin line, but the edges curving up slightly.

'Well, Professor, you are, after all very intimidating,' said George, bowing his head.

'And an amazing woman of courage, who represents the values and traits of Gryffindor House perfectly ma'am,' said Fred, surpassing his brother by actually standing up and bowing.

'While I appreciate your compliments and admire your flattery Mr and Mr Weasley,' Professor McGonagall said, with a smirk on her face. 'The time is right for you to be heading to your first class, which, according to these timetables' she said, looking down at a piece of parchment, before handing one each to the twins, 'is Muggle Studies. I am sure your father would be proud of you choosing this subject' she added.

'Yes Professor,' said George, and taking their timetables, he led his brother out of the Great Hall, leaving Hermione alone with Professor McGonagall. The teacher turned around to face Hermione.

'I hope that whatever Misters Weasleys said to you will help, Miss Granger. But I think this will help even more,' said Professor McGonagall, handing Hermione a piece of parchment, 'your timetable.'

'Thank you, Professor,' said Hermione, looking down at her timetable. Professor McGonagall smiled at her.

Hermione saw that she had three subjects today; Potions, Herbology and Charms. She looked at her watch. Potions had already begun. She gasped. Professor McGonagall noticed and quickly said: 'First years have the morning off, mainly to adjust to their new environment.'

Hermione let out her breath. She had been worried that she would be late, but she needn't have worried. She looked back down at her parchment and saw that she had double Potions on Friday. That meant she didn't have to worry about it until the end of the week. She noticed the rest of the timetable:

**_Student Timetable:_**

**_Name: _**_Hermione Granger  
__**Gender: **__Female  
__**House: **__Gryffindor  
__**Date of Birth: **__September 18__th__, 1979 (aged 11 years, first year)_

**_Monday  
_**_Potions (9 o'clock)_

_Herbology (1 o'clock)  
Charms (2:30)_

**_Tuesday:  
_**_Transfiguration (9 o'clock) X2  
Defence Against the Dark Arts (1 o'clock) X2_

**_Wednesday:_**

_Charms (10:30)_

_Transfiguration (1 o'clock)  
History of Magic (2:30)_

_Astronomy (11 o'clock – pm)_

**_Thursday:  
_**_History of Magic (9 o'clock)__**  
**__Defence Against the Dark Arts (10:30)_

_Herbology (1 o'clock)  
Charms (2:30)_

**_Friday:  
_**_Potions (9 o'clock) X2_

_Herbology (1 o'clock)  
History of Magic (2:30)_

Hermione decided that since she didn't have anything to do that morning, she would send her parents a quick letter, before organizing herself. She still had to unpack her stuff, as well. That's when she remembered about her question. She turned around, towards Professor McGonagall.

'Professor? Is there any place where I could buy merchandise that is supportive of Gryffindor?' asked Hermione. The professor smiled down at her.

'Getting into the house spirit already, Miss Granger?' asked Professor McGonagall. 'To answer your question, however, yes, there is. 'Wendell's Wizarding Goods and Merchandise' is the place to go. It's in Diagon Alley.'

She left the Great Hall, and twenty minutes later was at her desk in her dorm. She had found some parchment, a few quills and some ink. She had organized all her stuff for the afternoon lessons. Her dragon hide gloves were already in her bag for Herbology. She had packed some parchment, quills and ink for Charms, as well. She was now in the process of colour-coding her timetable.

She finished that activity, and decided to unpack. Getting out her clothes, she hung it all in her wardrobe, before putting all of her books and the sort onto the shelf behind the bed. When she finished organizing everything, she sat down and started the letter to her parents:

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Hogwarts is absolutely amazing. When we arrived, we travelled by boat across the lake and were then sorted by a magical hat. The hat considered putting me in Ravenclaw (the smart and witty house), but decided on Gryffindor in the end (the brave house)._

_I share a dorm with two other girls, Parvati and Lavender. I like Parvati, she's quite nice, but Lavender is a bit of a chatter-box. The food here is delicious and I'm eating the desserts in moderation, Mum. No boys have come towards me yet, Dad._

_I've walked around the castle a bit and it's amazing. It's so massive.. There are literally hundreds of paintings, which seem to sulk all day. In fact, the most liveliest painting is perhaps that of the Fat Lady. She guards Gryffindor Tower and only allows access to those with the password. I'm not sure how other houses common rooms are protected, but I assume it's magical as well._

_I have the morning off today, in order to 'settle in'. I've already unpacked and the lot, but I'm still happy. There is still so much to explore! I have Herbology and Charms today, and hopefully they're fun subjects!_

_Could you please perhaps go to Diagon Alley (if that's possible) and get me some Gryffindor stuff? Apparently there's quite a good little shop there that sells stuff like that called "Wendell's Wizarding Goods and Merchandise". I know it might be hard, but it would be nice._

_I'll write another letter at the end of the week, to tell you about my entire week._

_With lots of love,  
Hermione._

Hermione finished the letter and read it three times, making sure it sounded right. She then took her bag and, after carefully putting her letter into her bag, she and started off towards the Great Hall for lunch. She had some soup and a bit of potato salad, before setting off towards the owlery.

The owlery was a relatively hard climb. When she finally reached it, she was panting, and holding her stitch. She braced herself against the wall, before bracing and entering the room. It smelled like a mix of bird droppings, feathers and owl treats.

After picking a handsome brown barn owl, Hermione tied her letter to the owl's leg and, after she told the owl where to go, it took off through the window, quickly turning into a small dot on the horizon, before disappearing all together.

Hermione retrieved her bag, and went down the stairs, before setting off towards the greenhouses. It took her almost fifteen minutes to get there, and she arrived just as the bell rang. The door opened and dumpy little witch, wearing a brown pointed hat and a much stained apron walked out.

'Right, come in then. No use standing around here,' said the witch. 'We're in Greenhouse Three today, and for the rest of the year.'

The class of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs followed her into greenhouse. She began the lesson:

'Now then, today will be more of a me talking, and you listening sort of lesson, okay?' she said. 'Right, first of all, welcome to Herbology, and more importantly, welcome to Hogwarts. I know that this is your very first class, so you have every right to be scared.'

The class did seem a bit apprehensive. The students looked at each other, uncertainly.

'My name is Professor Pomona Sprout. Now then, first off, does everyone have the necessary equipment? You need some gloves, best if they're dragon hide,' the witch said, holding up a pair of gloves. 'I also advise you to use a single set of robes for Herbology. Don't use all of your sets; otherwise they'll all get ruined! Now then, what is Herbology? Can anyone tell me?'

Hermione put her hand up, straight in the air.

'Yes, you dear? Miss?' said Professor Sprout, pointing at Hermione.

'Granger, ma'am,' said Hermione. 'Herbology is the study of magical plants and fungi; their uses, both everyday and special uses, as well as their properties and effects.'

'Well done, take ten points to Gryffindor,' said Professor Sprout, noticing Hermione's red tie and the inside of her cloak.

'Now then, give me a few minutes, and I'll be back with a plant to show you.' The class leaned in a bit closer as Professor Sprout went out the back. Hermione wondered what the professor would bring back.

A few minutes later, Professor Sprout returned, holding a pot to her chest. In the pot sat a perfectly ordinary lily, except for the fact that it seemed to be glowing and it's leaves were moving. Hermione recognised it instantly.

'Now then, who can tell me what this is?' asked Professor Sprout. Hermione put her hand up. 'Yes, Miss Granger?'

'It's a European Moonlight Lily. It's essentially a lily, but with special magical properties. It's commonly used in treating werewolf and normal wolf bites, while the actual lily itself is used in traps for werewolves. It's aroma attracts the werewolf, but if the werewolf gets too close, then they die as the lily is actually poisonous. Throughout history, villages have harvested it; both muggle and wizard alike. It's been worn as charms and talisman for centuries in Europe. Although in Eastern Europe they prefer the white rose "luni",' finished Hermione, breathlessly.

'Well done, take another twenty points,' said Professor Sprout, smiling brightly at Hermione. 'Yes the moonlight lily is widely used in Europe to treat bites and protect from werewolves. However, it is, unfortunately, very rare. Only wild ones are effective to protect against werewolves, and they were harvested so much that few places remain where you can find them. Hogwarts is the only place in all of Britain where you can find these lilies. We sell some of the petals every year to St. Mungo's, but unfortunately it's not enough,' finished Professor Sprout, looking sadly at the little flower.

'Anyway, that is a simple example of what we will be doing in Herbology. Now, it is very important for you to remember that when we come to actually working with plants, which is practically every day, you have to be careful. Every plant we work with has some side effects; some are good, but mostly bad. So please don't be stupid,' said Professor Sprout.

'Herbology is a very important subject. A N. E. W. T. is required in Herbology for a wide range of careers, so pay close attention. It is especially important if you come across a plant in the middle of nowhere and need to know what it is, which is why, today, we will be learning the different types of stems and what they mean; whether they're deadly, infectious, edible, etcetera,' said Professor Sprout.

The rest of the class passed with Hermione and the others flipping through _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, _by Phyllida Spore. Hermione found it interesting, though she did wish that they could have worked with some actual plants.

When the bell rang, the class packed up and left. The Gryffindors headed for Charms. When they reached the classroom, they saw tiny Professor Flitwick talking with a fifth year about O. W. L. s.

'Yes, Miss Haveshot, those are very likely to come up, so you should probably study up on them,' they heard Professor Flitwick say. The girl left and Flitwick turned to face his new class.

'Come in!' he said. The class piled in. Hermione chose a seat at the front of the class. When the class settled down, Professor Flitwick went up to the front and stood up on a pile of books. Someone sniggered.

'Hello, and welcome to your very first Charms lesson. My name is Professor Flitwick. I am the Charms professor and also the Head of Ravenclaw House,' he said. 'I will first take the register to see if all of you are present.'

Flitwick picked up the register and went through it.

'Granger, Hermione,' he called.

'Present,' said Hermione. Flitwick continued.

'Potter, Harry,' he called.

'Present' Harry called. Flitwick looked up and suddenly gave an excited squeak like a mouse. He tripped and fell over, off his stack of books. A few people sniggered this time. The tiny professor recovered and stood back up on his pile of books. He finished the register without any more incidents and turned towards the class.

'Now then, Charms is the beautiful branch of magic which allows us to create anything from chocolate frogs to pumpkin juice, or to make a toad disappear or bring something that is far away closer to us. While some say this is a relatively easy subject, and it is' said Professor Flitwick. He continued 'The principals involved, however are complex, not as complex as Transfiguration, but whereas in Transfiguration you may apply the same principals to a variety of objects, you cannot do so in Charms with such liberty. There are some things which have similar principals, but very few.'

Professor Flitwick paused and then, waving his wand, he made a goblet appear on everyone's desk. With another wave, water appeared in the goblets, and with a third wave, chocolate appeared beside everyone.

'This is just a simple example of Charms, and what you can do. We will not, however, always be learning Charms, there are some standard principals and, of course, there are also some rules that we must learn, before we go off, waving our waves like baboons!' squeaked Professor Flitwick.

He then wrote some of the principals on the board, using his wand. 'Another example of Charms' he said simply. The class was happy and impressed.

Hermione, herself, was happy at this class. It seemed to look promising. A class that she would enjoy and Professor Flitwick looked like an excellent teacher for all of this new material. She remembered that he could have, just as easily been her Head of House, instead of Professor McGonagall. She smiled; the teachers at Hogwarts seemed to be rather nice. That, in itself, was a reassuring thought.

When the class ended, Hermione packed up her stuff and went to her dormitory. The classes for today were over. She had dinner in about an hour, before she could get more information regarding Hogwarts and the standard practices there.

After leaving her bag on her bed, Hermione went downstairs to the common room, and choosing an armchair next to the fire, she pulled out her book and read. The book was about the more recent history of the wizarding world, specifically Voldermort and his followers. Hermione was rather intent on learning everything she could about this wizard, especially given that Professor McGonagall seemed to think that he would return.

She was also partially interested in Voldermort because of, she admitted to herself, her fellow classmate. The bespectacled raven-haired boy had sat behind her in Charms, along with Ron. She had overheard them discussing a variety of subjects, ranging from Quidditch, Slytherin, Hogwarts, Quidditch, food and more Quidditch. Ron had seemed to have done most of the talking, while Harry added a bit here and there.

Hermione had wondered why this was. Harry Potter was, after-all a half-blood wizard, though she had found out that no one knew where he had gone for ten years after his parents had been killed.

Hermione strongly suspected that he had been hidden in the muggle world, out of sight, and out of reach, perhaps partially because of the fame, and partially because of the danger. Though she didn't understand why he would have not been informed of the wizarding world. He seemed just as, if not more so, oblivious to the various wizarding issues as Hermione. He hadn't known what Quidditch was and had not, as she heard, known about the pure-blood bigotry of some families.

An hour later, Hermione went down to dinner. It was much the same as last night, although there were a few additions, as well as the event not being as grand. Hermione sat next to Parvati and Lavender, the two of whom, were discussing the latest gossip. It seemed that Hogwarts, like any other school, had its own rumour mill. Hermione strongly suspected that in future, Lavender would become the top leader of that rumour mill. She had already seemed to have found 'secret sources', as she called them.

After eating, Hermione decided to go to the library. She had learned that a library was somewhere in the castle. She soon found it; a rather large door was guarding it. Pushing the door inside, she walked in and gasped.

In front of her, and to the side, were what seemed like hundreds of thousands of books. They all seemed to be able to shelve themselves as well as float around. The shelves stretched high up to the twenty-foot ceiling. A few people were milling about, studying for their subjects. Most were down at dinner still, and very little homework had been given on the first day back.

Hermione didn't even know where to begin. There seemed to books everywhere. At her old school, the library was relatively large, with a collection of eleven thousand two hundred and fifty seven books. This library seemed to be about twenty times that. Hermione randomly picked up a book from the shelf. _One Thousand and One Simple Household Charms_, by Sandra Bellinsky. Hermione decided to take it out. It would probably be useful in the future.

She walked around the library for the next two hours. When she finished, she went to the counter. A short, elderly, stern-looking witch appeared. The name on the desk indicated that she was Madam Pince.

'Yes?' she questioned.

'I'd like to get this book out,' said Hermione, politely.

'Well what's your name, dear?' Madam Pince asked.

'Hermione Granger,' said Hermione.

Madam Pince waved her wand at the book. She said: 'There, now then, books are issued for a period of four weeks, and they must be returned for the summer. Also note that the Restricted Section is out of bounds, unless you receive a note from a teacher telling you specifically what book.' Madam Pince nodded to a corner of the library, which Hermione hadn't noticed before.

A small door was there, with _Restricted Section _written on it. It seemed to be enough to keep most people out. Madam Pince also seemed to keep a hawk's eye on that particular corner.

'Thank you for the book,' said Hermione. She decided to go back to the dormitory. Tomorrow Hermione had double Transfiguration and double Defence Against the Dark Arts. She hoped that there would be some work there.

Hermione thought back to the letter she had written her parents. She hoped that they had gotten it by now. She didn't know how long owls took. Harry's owl, she had heard him call Hedwig, seemed to care for her master and had come in that morning, eating some toast and nipping affectionately on Harry's ear. Hermione didn't really think that either of these things was very hygienic, but she ignored it. It seemed to be the accepted behavior of owls in the wizarding world.

Hermione decided to go up to bed, she found that she was, surprisingly, rather tired. She put on her pyjamas and went into the bathroom to wash up. She then lay in her bed for another hour or so, reading the book she had gotten from the library. She decided to try and create a small flame. She pointed her wand at the candle on the bedside table and said the incantation. The candle lit up. Hermione welled up with pride.

A bit later, Lavender and Parvati came up, and after washing up themselves and drawing the hangings around their beds shut, they went to sleep. Hermione decided to do the same. She put her book down and rolled over, blowing out the candle. She was soon asleep, dreaming of the following day, with her next few lessons.

* * *

**So, this is the very first part of Hermione's lessons. Originally, this was meant to be one chapter, but I've decided to split it into two. The fifth chapter: Lessons – Part 2 will be up soon. It will focus on Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, a bit of Astronomy, and of course Snape will be there with his evil subject of Potions.**

**I look set to do about fifteen or so chapters in this fanfiction overall. The second in this series, (which will be titled "Hermione Granger: Second Year – Slytherins Monster, by the way) will be up, hopefully before The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes out! Yes, it may be out that soon!**

**The simple reason is that I really want to get to the third book, which is where, personally, I think the real action starts; the third book!**

**I would greatly appreciate any reviews with suggestions or just simple comments!**

**Thanks,  
SeekerGranger**


	5. Lessons - Part 2

**_A/N: _****So, here's Chapter Five; it's part two of Hermione's first few lessons. Transfiguration, Defence, Potions and History of Magic, which I completely forgot about in the earlier few chapters. Oh, and Astronomy.**

**Hope you enjoy it.**

**Please R&R.**

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**Chapter Five: Lessons – Part 2**

The following morning saw Hermione sitting at breakfast. She was paying more attention to her breakfast of scrambled eggs, than to that of Parvati, who was sitting next to her, talking about how great her mother's cheering charms were. Or to the Weasley twins, who were a bit of a way across, and were talking very loudly about the possibility that Marcus Flint, who was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, was half-troll and half-lizard. This particular conversation had found a rather large audience, in the form of half-amused Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws looking over at the twins.

Hermione, however, was pondering what she was going to do today. She knew she had double Transfiguration and double Defence Against the Dark Arts. She had already heard rumours that Quirrell, who taught Defence, was a bit useless. That wasn't what worried her; useless teachers were nothing new to her, she could just learn the material from books. What truly worried Hermione was Transfiguration. She knew that it was a complicated piece of magic and that the majority of wizards, though proficient in other areas, were not very good at Transfiguration. She was slightly reassured by the fact that a few of the older students had reassured her that it was nothing.

Hermione was also slightly apprehensive about the teacher. She knew McGonagall, of course. It was hard to forget the woman who introduced you to a brand new world. She did not worry about the strictness or the rules of McGonagall's lessons. No. What truly worried her was what the professor would think of Hermione. Hermione, after all, simply wanted to impress. She knew how, of course. She was very good and well accustomed to it.

Hermione was also slightly absorbed by the letter she had sent her parents yesterday. She didn't know how long owl post took. It could be days or a few weeks. But she hoped it was quick. Thus she was very surprised when an owl (which had just flown in with the hundreds of other owls) landed in front of her. It was the same owl she had sent to her parents yesterday.

The owl held out her leg, and Hermione picked up the scroll of paper. It was strangely reassuring to feel the paper. She had not even been gone two days, but she already felt so far away from the real world. The wizarding world had suddenly sucked her in, like a black hole. The small piece of paper reassured her, reminding her of that world. Hermione unrolled the scroll and read:

_Dear Hermione,_

_Congratulations! We are so proud of you! Hogwarts sounds amazing! You'll have to tell us all about it when you get back home for Christmas. We're going to go see your Grandmother for a few days; the entire family will be there. Yes, Billy as well._

Hermione groaned at this news. Billy was a terrible ten-year old boy,_ her cousin, _Hermione thought with disgust. He was an absolute nightmare. She could not stand him. He was one of those children who was, quite simply an idiot. Whenever Hermione saw him, he would try to prank her and trip her up. His parents refused to pay attention. This was what made Aunt Sally, Hermione's father's sister, and her husband Matthew Hermione's most hated relatives. They were absolutely naïve and had a blind eye, even though Billy done a great deal of terrible things to them as well. Hermione's parent had, thankfully, had not invited the Locker's in since seven years ago, when, Hermione's fifth birthday party was ruined with Billy (who, even back then, was nasty) tripping up Hermione in the middle of the princess dance. Hermione had run back into the house, after falling face first into mud. She had cried for hours, and had refused to see Billy for three years. This incident was what had started the slow collapse of the relationship between Mr. Granger and Aunt Sally.

Thankfully, however, this Christmas celebration would also include Hermione's other set of parental siblings. Hermione's mother's two brothers were fun people. Uncle Blake was older than Hermione's mum by three years. He was married (to Elizabeth), and had two children: Alice, six and Theo, four. Hermione loved her cousins dearly (she didn't consider Billy a cousin; as far as she was concerned, he had been disowned by her). Uncle Blake and his wife Mary were amazing people and had always given Hermione a small book, when visiting.

Hermione's other uncle was called John and Hermione loved him even more than Uncle Blake; but just a bit. Uncle John was what her mother called a 'bachelor still in his twenties.' He was actually thirty-one, but unmarried. He had once told Hermione that he didn't want a family, he had enough nieces and nephews to spoil. He had then sworn her to secrecy. She had been six. The reason that she loved Uncle John a bit more was that when she had been young, Uncle John had stayed for a while with them. During that time he had read almost every night for an hour, sometimes more, to Hermione. He had gotten her hooked on reading.

Hermione continued with the letter:

_We hope you enjoy the rest of your classes. We really want to see you do well, honey. Uncle John was here the other day, saying how he missed you. He really does seem to suit being a bachelor well._

_Me and your father plan on going to London later this week and will probably drop by and see if we can get into Diagon Alley. The house animal is a lion, isn't it? And the color is scarlet, right?_

_I'm happy to see that you're eating desserts in moderation, and your father is pleased to hear that no boys have risked their lives, yet. Though I told him that he would probably be powerless to do anything against a wizard._

_We hope you are doing well and enjoying school. Please write to us at least once a week, Hermione. At least to say how things are going._

_Love,  
Mum_

Hermione finished the letter and looked at her watch; it was ten-to-nine. She got up and left the Great Hall, pausing to admire the beauty of the vast chamber in the morning glow.

When she got to the classroom, she was almost late. Taking a seat in the front of the class, she pulled out her books and wand. When the bell rang, Professor McGonagall walked into the classroom.

'Good Morning students and welcome to Transfiguration. My name is Professor McGonagall and I am the Transfiguration professor. Transfiguration is a complex branch of magic. It is widely used in a variety of careers. By the time you finish Hogwarts, you should all be able to transfigure a large variety of things into other things,' started Professor McGonagall.

'In fifth year, you will take your O. W. L.s. Those examinations are very important. They will determine whether you can continue on to N. E. W. T. level. I warn you know that I only accept those students who receive at least Exceeds Expectations in their results,' she said.

Seamus Finnigan put his hand in the air.

'Yes, Mr. Finnigan?' asked Professor McGonagall.

'What are the marking grades for O. W. L.s?' he enquired.

'Both O. W. L.s and N. E. W. T.s are marked on the same grade basis. Failure grades are Troll, which is the worst, Dreadful, which is almost as bad, and Poor, which means you didn't quite reach it. The passing grades are Acceptable, Exceeds Expectations and Outstanding. Note that most subjects only take on students who receive at least Exceeds Expectations,' she added in reply.

'Now then, I should warn you. Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned,' she continued. Then, in front of everyone, she tapped her wand on her desk and it disappeared. In its place stood a rather ugly pink pig.

They then continued with Professor McGonagall going over safety and rules in her class. After that was done, Professor McGonagall said: 'Now then, as it is a double lesson, we will take advantage. Today, we will begin with attempting to transfigure a match into a needle. You must first copy the notes on the board. Mr. Thomas, please hand out these matches.'

The class began to take down notes, while Dean was passing the matches around. A sudden yelp startled the class, and they all turned around, and laughed as Dean Thomas tried to put out the small flame that had sprung up on his robe. The class continued when Professor McGonagall gave a stern look in Dean's direction.

When she was finished with the notes, Hermione began to attempt ot change the match. She decided to follow the notes and visualized the image of a needle. After fifteen failed attempts using that method, she decided to try a different one. She thought about what she actually wanted to change in the match. She wanted it to become metal, instead of wood. She wanted the match to sharpen into a fine point. She wanted the colour to change to a silvery colour. After seven long attempts, she succeeded at changing the physical properties of her match. Professor McGonagall soon came along.

'Well, Miss Granger, how are you going?' she asked.

In reply, Hermione picked up her changed match and showed it to Professor McGonagall. The teacher's eyes became bright.

'Well done, Miss Granger!' she cried. 'Ten points to Gryffindor!'

'Thank you, Professor,' said Hermione, a bit shyly. She squirmed a bit in her seat.

At the end of the lesson, Professor McGonagall showed the rest of the class Hermione's needle. She explained how the class needed to think what they wanted to change and to visualize it. Professor McGonagall awarded Hermione an extra five points and gave her a rare smile. The bell rang.

Hermione made her way out of class, and followed the mass of students headed towards the Great Hall for lunch. Hermione realised that she was very hungry. That magic had taken quite a bit out of her, and three hours in a class was a rather long time.

After lunch, she practically ran to Defence Against the Dark Arts. She was almost, very nearly, late. She raced to a stop outside the classroom. The entire class was filing in. She followed and made her way to the front row, where she sat down.

Professor Quirrel entered, and stood at the front.

'W-W-Welcome, class, t-to D-D-Defence Against the D-D-Dark A-A-Arts,' stuttered Professor Quirell, appearing scared of his own subject.

'This year, we will be studying various m-magical and D-D-Dark creatures,' he continued on, attempting to fight his own stutter.

He seemed not to notice that half the class was crying. This half was trying hard to fight their own battle. Their laughter was putting up a good fight, but the class was trying to suppress it. Finally, Lavender Brown gave a shriek of laughter, and this shattered the resolve of the class, who burst out laughing. Professor Quirell blinked a bit, before continuing on with his lecture.

After three hours, Hermione felt light-headed. She felt as if Quirell's monologue was a ridiculous combination of nerves and a curriculum that Hermione knew would not teach them anything. In reality, the entire thing seemed like a bit of a joke.

She decided to go down to dinner. She then went to the library and picked out an assortment of books, and done some of her homework.

After finishing her homework, and having nothing else to do, Hermione decided to go to bed early, knowing that she had Astronomy tomorrow night.

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The following morning saw Hermione up relatively early. She went down to breakfast, where she tore her way through some scrambled eggs, before going to her first lesson of the day; Charms, though she diverted to the library, as Charms was still an hour away.

When she got there, and when the class began, Professor Flitwick instructed them on proper wand use and care.

'Never use your wand for anything other than cleaning, you will end up significantly damaging it. Never attempt to do powerful magic that is beyond you, you may break your wand and you may kill yourself,' he said in a cherry voice.

After a lunch of pea soup, Hermione went to Transfiguration, where Professor McGonagall made the rest of the class carry on with the match-to-needle spell, while setting Hermione the next activity; a pencil to a quill. Hermione found this more difficult, and had still not managed to finish, by the time the class finished. At least she remained the only one who had properly Transfigured her match. Some of her class had changed their matches to either silver matches or made them sharp, but not a proper needle.

After Transfiguration, Hermione set off towards her next class: History of Magic. She was perhaps most interested by this subject, though she had been warned that it was the most boring and monotonous class at Hogwarts.

Hermione knew that the class was taught by a ghost; Professor Binns. Professor Binns had one day fallen asleep in front of the staffroom fire, before waking up the following morning as a ghost and going off to teach.

At one-thirty, the classroom door opened and a monotonous voice called for the class to enter. Hermione went up to the front of the class, where she got out her materials and books.

Professor Binns began the class: 'Hello, and welcome to History of Magic. This year we will begin with goblin rebellions, which we shall continue with for the next few years. I am Professor Binns, and yes, I am a ghost.'

Then he began his lecture. Hermione took notes, but she noticed that she was the only one to do so. Within ten minutes, the entire class had fallen into a state of drowsiness. Some people had actually fallen asleep, while other had began to discreetly play games. Professor Binns, however, didn't seem to notice. He rambled on and on, and Hermione continued to be the only one who took notes.

When the bell finally rang, the class woke up from its state of drowsiness. They shuffled out of the door, and went down to dinner. After dinner, most of the class, including Hermione shuffled off to a very early bedtime. They had Astronomy at eleven. Astronomy went on for three hours, which meant that Hermione had to get up at ten-thirty, and would only go back to bed at about two-thirty.

At ten-thirty, Hermione woke up and got ready for Astronomy, before making her way, along with the rest of her class, to the highest tower at school. They finally reached the Astronomy Tower, some ten minutes later. All of them puffing and holding stitches at their side.

Professor Sinistra let them all in. They went in, and found themselves in a large, circular room. The room was filled with telescopes, all of which pointed up, towards a large hole in the ceiling, through which students could stargaze.

They all clustered into the middle, and Professor Sinistra went to the front of the room, and stood in front of a large telescope, which seemed to stretch for at twenty feet.

'Astronomy is not necessarily magic, in its own right. It is, however, the study of the stars, the constellations, and the space in general. Astronomy is generally considered to be an easy subject. And for many, you will not find it difficult. At the same time, I expect few of you will continue on with Astronomy past your O. W. L. year. I do, however, hope that you will put in the time and effort into studying the stars, for they are beautiful, and themselves, bring a kind of knowledge that you will not find anywhere else,' said Professor Sinistra.

'Now then, my name is Professor Sinistra. This year, we will be focusing on the basics of astronomy; the equipments, our own solar system, and the more well-know constellations. Now, first question, who can name all of the planets in our solar system? Yes, Miss-' said Professor Sinistra, indicating Hermione, who had put her hand up, to no body's surprise.

'-Granger, ma'am. The nine planets of our solar system are, in order; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Earth is the only planet that lies in the "habitable zone", which is the zone of space, which is just the right distance from the sun, that it is possible for life to exist; not too hot, and too cold' Hermione said.

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**_Author's Interruption (AI): _****In 1991, Pluto was still considered to be a planet, at least by muggles.**

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'Excellent, Miss Granger. Take twenty points. However, you are muggle-born, I presume?' said Professor Sinistra.

'Yes, ma'am,' replied Hermione.

'Yes, in the muggle world, Pluto is still considered to be a planet; I expect that will change in the next few decades. However, the wizarding community believes that Pluto is not an actual planet, just a dwarf planet, and so therefore we classify the solar system as having just eight planets, not nine,' Professor Sinistra explained.

Hermione was shocked. For the first time in a long time, she was wrong about something. She had thought she had known this. But apparently, she was not so lucky. _The one book I didn't read!, _she thought, _the one damn book! Of course the wizarding community has some differences from muggles! And Pluto seems like the best candidate to become a dwarf planet. In fact, I completely agree with her!_

The rest of the class passed smoothly; they were told what equipment they would use, and how to take care of it, and how to use it. By the end of the class, Hermione felt much better, after having won Gryffindor an additional fifty points.

The following morning, it was a tired bunch of Gryffindors that entered History of Magic. But Hermione had the distinct impression that the school knew just how boring History of Magic was, and so scheduled it first thing following Astronomy, so that students could sleep in the class. In fact, Hermione was only one of about six students who weren't sleeping, and the only one actually paying attention. The other five were either chatting, or in the case of Ron and Harry, playing wizards chess.

The class, including Hermione, was bored out of their wits in the following class, as well; Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Quirell droned on about meeting a vampire in Romania. By the end of the class, Hermione felt that Defence was a hopeless class, and sincerely wished that the curse on the post was still active.

After lunch, Hermione and the other Gryffindors joined the Hufflepuffs and went to the greenhouses for Herbology. Hermione enjoyed Professor Sprout's lecture about Shrieking Petunia's. Though the whole class wondered why Harry Potter let out a snort of laughter when Professor Sprout told them what they were called. Even Ron seemed to not understand. But the rest of the class passed with Harry having a twinkle in his eye.

The final, and easily most satisfying lesson of the day, was Charms. Professor Flitwick hobbled around the class, monitoring the class's progress with _Lumos, _the light charm. At the end of the class, Professor Flitwick said: 'I would like a two foot essay on the benefits and dangers of _Lumos. _The essay is to be handed in on Monday!' The class was not, to say the least, pleased.

'Homework! But it's the first week!' exclaimed Ron Weasley.

'Maybe so, Mr. Weasley, but you still cannot master the spell, which is why you, and the others who have not mastered it, will have to master it. As well as that, whether the first week, or the tenth, we have begun to learn, and a part of that learning is homework. Five points from Gryffindor,' Professor Flitwick said, calmly. Ron Weasley looked furious.

At dinner, the class seemed to be divided on its opinion of the homework. All of the girls and Harry didn't mind the homework, while the rest of the boys were furious that they already had homework.

'Ron, you should probably guess that tomorrow we will get quite a bit of homework, from Potions, History and Herbology,' Hermione pointed out to a furious Ron. Ron seemed to get angrier at this.

'What would you know about it, you know-it-all,' he replied in a venomous voice. Hermione rolled her eyes; she had been called much worse.

The following morning, the Gryffindor first-years were rather subdued at breakfast. The first class of the day was Potions, _double _Potions. As the class filed into the dungeon that served as the Potions lab, Professor Severus Snape entered, and the first thing he did was take the roll. Like Flitwick in their first Charms lesson, Snape paused at Harry's name. But Snape didn't fall to the floor, instead Snape seemed to smirk:

'Ah, yes,' he said softly, 'Harry Potter. Our new – _celebrity._'

In the corner, Draco Malfoy and his cronies sniggered behind their hands. Snape payed them no heed, and continued calling the roll. Once finished, he stood up and began pacing the room.

'You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making,' he began. He spoke at almost a whisper, but the class caught every word. It seemed that Snape, like McGonagall could keep a class silent without even trying. 'As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses … I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.'

Hermione was on edge. She wasn't a dunderhead. She wanted to prove herself. But Snape seemed to have other plans.

'Potter!' said Snape suddenly. 'What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'

Hermione raised her hand, desperate to prove herself. But Snape ignored her. Harry seemed to be his target.

'I don't know, sir,' said Harry.

'Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything,' Snape's lip curled. 'Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?'

Hermione stretched her hand higher into the air. Harry still didn't seem to know.

'I don't know, sir.'

'Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?' Snape replied venomously. 'What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?'

At this, Hermione stood up, stretching her hand up towards the ceiling.

'I don't know,' said Harry quietly. 'I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?'

A few people laughed, but were quickly silenced by Snape's glare. He turned towards Hermione. Hermione was about to answer when:

'Sit down,' Snape snapped at Hermione. 'For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well, why aren't you all copying that down?'

Hermione was doing just that, and seemed to be the only one. The rest of the class snatched their quills and begun writing what Snape had said. Over the noise, Snape said: 'And a point will be taken from Gryffindor house for your cheek, Potter.'

The rest of the class didn't improve much for the Gryffindors. Halfway through making the potion (a boil curing potion), and while Snape was praising Draco Malfoy, a loud hissing noise accompanied the release of green acid smoke. Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to melt Seamus Finnigan's cauldron. The potion was now seeping across the room, burning holes in people's shoes. Hermione clambered onto her stool, as did nearly everyone else. Neville stood beside the remains of the cauldron, moaning as angry red boils appeared on his body. Snape went over.

'Idiot boy!' he snarled at Neville, as he cleared the potion away with a wave of his wand. 'I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?'

Neville whimpered slightly. The boils continued to appear on his body. Hermione felt sorry for him.

'Take him to the Hospital Wing' Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville and Seamus.

'You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor.'

Harry appeared furious at this. Hermione could understand why. It was ridiculously unfair. Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron whispered something to him, and Harry closed his mouth.

The end of class came quickly, with Snape setting homework for the weekend. Once class was finished, Hermione and the rest of the class travelled to the Great Hall. Lunch was quick, and then it was time for Herbology, where they continued with the shrieking petunias, which bought another smile from Harry. Professor Sprout also set an essay, which prompted a groan from Ron.

Following Herbology, the class travelled to History of Magic, where Binns droned on and on about rebellions. At the end of the period, he, too, set a three-foot essay on what they had learnt so far. At the prospect of more homework, Ron exclaimed: 'Bloody Hell! We already have so much!'

After History of Magic, the first-years returned to their dormitories to change and then went to dinner. Dinner on Fridays seemed to be a rather grand affair for everyone involved. As the end of the week was here, the students of Hogwarts talked loudly about the fun they would have over the weekend.

After dinner, Hermione decided to start on her homework, but only after writing and sending a letter to her parents:

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Hogwarts is amazing! The classes are great and I have so far enjoyed. Yes, my house colour is scarlet and gold and the animal is a lion._

_The classes are great, though the teachers are a different story. Professor McGonagall (the Deputy Headmistress, my head of House and the Transfiguration teacher) is strict but fair. She's praised me on my quick work. Professor Flitwick (the Head of Ravenclaw House and Charms teacher) is also relatively fair. Professor Sprout (the Head of Hufflepuff and the Herbology teacher) is also fair and quite kind. Professor Sinistra (Astronomy) seems to be quite cunning, even in the middle of the night. Professor Binns (the History of Magic teacher and a ghost) is quite monotonous. All he does is lecture on and on. I'm the only one who pays attention. The rest of the class seems unable to do so. Most of them fall asleep in History. Professor Snape, however, seems to be quite unfair. He's the Potions master and the Head of Slytherin. He seems to favour his own students and picks on others._

_The school itself is pretty awesome. Some of the suits of armour can move by themselves. The staircases also seem to like to move quite a bit. The portraits just walk around and chat with each other. I hope that I'll get used to the sheer vastness of this place soon._

_I hope you're all doing well. I'll be home for Christmas, but can we please do something to Billy? I mean, I'm sure I can find some spell to use on him! Say hi to Uncle John as well as Uncle Blake, Aunt Elizabeth, and Alice and Theo for me._

_Love,  
Hermione_

Hermione read the letter again and then went down to the owlery, quickly sent the letter and then went back to her dormitory, making it before curfew. She decided to ignore Lavenders and Parvati's gossip about boys.

She showered and then crashed into her bed, quickly falling asleep, as she thought about the following day.

* * *

**Another chapter done! Yay! The next chapter will be much quicker. It will be about the midnight duel, the flying lesson, and the flying lesson is the same day as Hermione's birthday! Thursday, September 19****th****, 1991. Ha!**

**Anyway, this chapter took quite a bit longer than expected. What did you think of mentioning Hermione's extended family. I'm afraid that I'll have to spoil it for you. If I get to the seventh book, then one of those relatives will die, probably not the Locker's. Sorry.**

**Anyway, Christmas should be fun to write about soon!**

**A bit of personal trivia: I despise it when in post-Deathly Hallows fanfiction, the house tables are disbanded. I mean, really? Get rid of the common rooms while you're at! No.**

**There, my short rave is over. I would really appreciate any reviews from you beautiful people!**

**Thanks,  
SeekerGranger**


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